Idorsia introduces Quviviq in Switzerland for chronic insomnia treatment

Idorsia has launched Quviviq (daridorexant) in Switzerland to treat chronic insomnia disorder in adult patients.

The move follows the receipt of marketing authorisation from Swissmedic in December 2022.

Quviviq is a dual orexin receptor antagonist that blocks the orexin receptors’ activation, which leads to wakefulness, instead of inducing sleep through broad inhibition of brain activity (sedation).

It decreases the wake drive and allows sleep to occur, without changing the stages of sleep.

One Quviviq 50mg tablet taken orally each night, within 30 minutes before going to bed, is the recommended dose.

Patients with moderate hepatic impairment or who are taking moderate CYP3A4 [the main human enzyme responsible for phase I metabolism] inhibitors, may take 25mg once each night.

Idorsia managing director and CEO Jean-Paul Clozel stated: “The discovery of Quviviq is the result of more than 20 years of research by our own scientists at our headquarters here in Switzerland.

“This offers patients a new targeted mechanism of action that decreases night-time overactive wakefulness in insomnia, and at the recommended dose of 50mg, improves how patients feel and function the next day.”

The company stated that the Phase III programme included two pivotal three-month trials, as well as a long-term extension trial.

The findings from the three-month trials showed that the therapy significantly improved sleep maintenance, sleep onset and self-reported total sleep time in chronic insomnia disorder adult patients.

Somnolence and headache are the most frequently reported adverse reactions observed in clinical trials.

In May 2023, Health Canada granted marketing authorisation for Quviviq.